Hope Into Dreams
by ERiN OPPEL
Summary: Sequel to "One Special Thing". When Hope meets Jackle and becomes his friend, she is flung into a world of secrets, and is hunted by a deadly foe Reala and NiGHTS hoped never to see again. COMPLETE.
1. Bedtime Story

_I told you guys I would post something so big and awesome! Well wait no more, for I have started the superb sequel to "One Special Thing"! So if you haven't already, you should read that first. I know sequels are nearly never as good as the originals, but I promise this one will be a great sequel! And if it isn't, you all can dangle me over a cliff. _

_Note: I will say this once and once only: I own Hope, but NiGHTS, Reala, and others are owned by SEGA and Sonic Team. Oh, and if you want to see what Hope looks like (although it's hard to see), check out my avatar picture (up for a limited time only!). I drew it myself! - Yeah, yeah, she looks like Cosmo from the Sonic series, SO WHAT? Ahem. Please read. And sorry for the "really imaginative" title._

Hope Into Dreams

Chapter One: Bedtime Story

The moon had begun to rise in the night sky, bathing the Crystal Castle landscape in a silvery glow. Inside the castle, NiGHTS watched the moon from a window, waiting for her time to go.

"Hey."

NiGHTS recognized the soft voice as Reala, her life-long mate. She turned around and smiled warmly at him. "Hey." she greeted back.

They embraced gently for a moment, then Reala asked, "You getting ready to go to the Dream Gate?"

"Mm-hmm." NiGHTS replied, her head still buried in Reala's chest. She then looked up at him. "You getting ready to tuck Hope in, for me?"

Reala nodded. "Of course, love. But what if she can't sleep? I can't play lullabyes like you do."

"Don't worry, just tell her another story, like you did the other times."

"But what if it doesn't work?"

NiGHTS rolled her eyes but smiled. "You worry too much. Anyway, it's time for me to go greet some Visitors."

"Yay." Reala said without enthusiasm.

NiGHTS laughed. "It's not _that_ bad." She paused to think. "Well, sometimes it is kind of a drag, especially when Owl starts explaining things to them, but somebody's got to do it."

"All right, then." Reala kissed NiGHTS quickly, then called out, "Hope! Come say goodnight to your mother!"

A few seconds later, a girl not-quite-jester-like Nightmaren flew into the room. She hugged NiGHTS tightly. "Goodnight, Mom!"

NiGHTS hugged her daughter just as tightly. "'Night, Hope. See you in the morning, ok, dear?"

Hope nodded and smiled.

"Ready for bed, Hope?" Reala asked.

Hope frowned. "Aw, can't I stay up until Mom gets back?"

NiGHTS gave Reala a wink, signaling for them to do their "Make-Hope-want-to-go-to-bed" plan.

"Of course you can stay up, Hope." Reala said cheerfully. He turned to NiGHTS. "I love you, darling."

"I love you more!" NiGHTS tried not to giggle.

Reala grabbed NiGHTS and brought her into a dip. "Wanna bet?"

Then they started to make out. And when your parents start to make out in front of you...it can make you a bit uncomfortable. Hope didn't mind it when Reala or NiGHTS gave each other a single kiss, but this was too much. "Aah! Ok! Ok! I'm going to bed!" And the 12-year old Nightmaren darted out of the room.

NiGHTS and Reala stopped kissing and chuckled.

"This plan of yours is brilliant." Reala commented, smiling slyly. "We should do it more often."

NiGHTS returned the smile. "We'll have plenty of time when I get back." She gave him one final kiss before flying out of their home.

Reala watched her go, sighing happily. Then he remembered he still had to say goodnight to Hope. He flew to her room and found his daughter sitting up in her bed. He smiled when he saw her. She looked so much like NiGHTS (but more like Cosmo! XD). "Hey, Sunshine." he said her nickname with a grin. He and NiGHTS sometimes called her Sunshine because not only did her Ideya shine whenever light struck it, but also because Hope was bright and cheery. Reala floated over to her bed and sat on the edge.

Hope smiled brightly, as she always did. "Hey, Ree." she leaned over and hugged him.

"And since when were you allowed to nickname your parents?" asked Reala.

Hope giggled. "Well, Mom told me that's what she called you sometimes. I just wanted to try it."

Reala smiled, but continued to gaze at his daughter.

"What?" Hope asked when her father didn't say anything.

"It's just that you remind me of her so much." Reala answered. "Anyway, it's time for you to go to sleep."

Hope looked a little disappointed. "Oh. I was hoping you could tell me a story."

Not wanting to disappoint his daughter, Reala said, "I can tell you a story. Which one?"

Hope pondered some more. "I know! The story about Nancy and Roger!"

Reala nodded. "All right, get comfortable."

Hope snuggled into a lying down position and Reala pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.

Then Reala started the story.

--

_Once upon a time, there was an evil ruler named Wizeman. He was the ruler of Nightmare, and he wanted to take over Nightopia with his evil band of Nightmarens. But there was one Nightmaren of his who knew what Wizeman was doing wasn't right. Her name was Nancy. Wizeman tried to kill her, and he almost succeeded, but another one of his Nightmarens, Roger, rescued her when Wizeman thought she was dead. Roger took her to the hospital and helped the Nightopians take care of her._

_It wasn't long before Nancy and Roger fell in love. The kind of love only reserved for Fairy Tales. They confessed their love for each other and Roger decided he wasn't going to serve Wizeman anymore._

_Wizeman later found out that Nancy was still alive and was very furious. One night when she and Roger were at the Dream Gate, he ambushed them and attacked them. It was a brutal fight to stay alive, and Roger did his best to protect Nancy. He could see Wizeman was getting frustrated and was on the brink of exploding, and it was then that he realized a secret about Wizeman that no one else knew about. Roger tricked him into doing his most powerful attack that was so strong it would actually be killing him himself. Unfortunately, when Wizeman did the attack, Nancy was killed in the process._

_She was indeed dead, and Roger thought he had lost her for good. But then he remembered her once telling him that Ideya can make miracles happen if your heart is strong enough. He remembered the Yellow Ideya Nancy gave him the night before this happened. Roger deeply hoped that the Ideya would revive her, which it did. It took all of his love for her to make it work. And with Wizeman gone, they lived happily ever after. _

_The End_

--

Hope sighed in satisfaction. "That was very nice. Thank you, Dad."

"You're very welcome, dear."

"Hey, Dad, I was wondering...what's that mask you always wear?"

Reala took off his Persona. "What, this? Oh, it's nothing, really. Just something I've always liked to wear." He put it back on. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I've just been wondering that for a while but I never got around to asking you. It's very pretty."

"Thank you, I think so too."

"Can I have one?"

"No, I'm afraid they don't make these anymore."

Hope looked puzzled. "Who's 'they'?"

Reala tried not to look nervous. "Uh...you know...they." he answered vaguely.

For some reason, Hope seemed to understand because she nodded and said, "Ok! Hey, Dad, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, dear. Anything."

"Where do babies come from?"

"Anything but that. Goodnight." Reala quickly kissed Hope's cheek, blew out the candle, then hurried out of her room and closed the door.

Hope giggled softly to herself and put her head on her pillow. "Even I have tricks of my own, Daddy."

_Tee hee! Hope is just as mischievious as NiGHTS! ;) Long first chapter, huh? So, is it good? Or just ok? Time to start reviewing! As always, constructive critisism is welcome, but no flames! By the way, notice the story Reala tells Hope is his and NiGHTS' story in "One Special Thing", but he changed the names. And there's a logical explination to that which I will reveal later in the story. Or you could just ask me right away, if you want._

_PS: If you don't understand something, or you find something confusing, please message me and I'll try to clear things up for you, k?_


	2. Jackle

_From here on, the story will mostly be seen from Hope's point of view. Yeah, I thought I'd let you know that. And thanks for all your encouraging reviews! :D_

Chapter Two: Jackle

Sunlight filtered through the crystal windows of Hope's room, warming her face and reflecting off her Ideya shard. She loved the morning, especially when there were still fresh dewdrops on the leaves and trees, and the air was crisp and fresh. After a quick stretch, Hope jumped out of bed and adjusted her hat. She glided out of her room and down the complicated halls she knew like the back of her hand.

"You're up early."

Hope stopped and looked in the direction of the voice. She saw NiGHTS grinning at her. "Hey, Mom!" Hope went up to her mother and hugged her. "Good morning!"

"Good morning to you, Sunshine." NiGHTS greeted, stroking her daughter's hat. "Out for a morning flight?"

Hope nodded. "Yeah! Do you want to come with me?"

NiGHTS smiled warmly but shook her head. "No, I'm afraid I can't. I got back later than I expected and I'm very tired. Some other time, ok, dear?"

Slightly disappointed, Hope nodded again and said, "Oh, ok. Some other time."

NiGHTS kissed Hope's cheek and told her before leaving, "Have a good time, hon!"

Hope next found her father and greeted him shortly before she went outside the castle and soared high in the air. She breathed in deeply and slowly let it out with a refreshed sigh. "Nothing like the morning air to lift your spirits." she said to herself. "Maybe those Nightopians would want to hear a song." Hope flew around the World of Glass until she spotted a cluster of Nightopians chatting with each other.

She flew down to them. "Hello, there!" she greeted.

The Nightopians greeted her back in their cheerful language.

"Would you like to hear a song, perhaps?" Hope asked, taking out her invisible ocarina. When the Nightopians answered excitedly that they did, Hope giggled, "All right, all right. Settle down now." She began to play the familiar tune that her mother always played. It was such a soothing melody, and the Nightopians loved it. Once Hope had finished, the Nightopians clapped and cheered.

"Thank you!" Hope said, bowing modestly. "Anytime, you guys!" She waved good-bye to the 'Pians and soared off into the sky. "Now I just wish there was someone I could play with...Oh well, I'll just see how far I can fly without getting tired." Hope decided to challenge herself, so she flew as fast as she could and as far as she could. She managed to make it all the way to Pure Valley without stopping.

"Phew! That was exhilarating!" Hope panted. "But I think I can go for longer." She started speeding up and looked down at the stream and trees far below watching her shadow zoom past them. All of a sudden, she heard a voice a short distance in front of her scream,

"LOOK OUT!"

"Huh?" Hope looked up, just in time to catch a glimps of something before it collided with her head. _Hard._ Everything went black for a split second and before she realized it, Hope was spiraling to the ground. "Whooooaaaaaa!!" she yelled as she fell. She landed in the middle of the stream on her back. "Ugh..." she groaned in pain and confusion.

"Sorry!"

Hope opened her eyes slowly and a blurry vision of someone's face came into view. She was having a hard time comprehending what happened because she felt cold and her head hurt big-time. She just groaned again.

"Hey, are you ok?"

"I...I think so..." Hope managed to say, only she wasn't sure if what she said made sense. She felt immensely dizzy.

"Whoa, you don't look so good!"

"Huh? Who are you?" Hope asked, putting a hand over her Ideya shard, for that's where the pain seemed the greatest. She felt someone grab her hand and pull her up and out of the stream.

"Name's Jackle!" the stranger told her in his high-pitched voice.

Hope shook her head gently, trying to clear things up. Finally, everything came back to her, but her head still hurt. "Thanks...Jackle." She managed to stand up and tried to squeeze the water out of her dress coat.

"Wow!" Jackle exclaimed, looking up and down at Hope. "You're cute!"

Hope froze and felt herself blush a little. She hadn't heard any compliments like that from anyone besides her parents, and she didn't know what to make of it. So she just responded, "Um, thank you...but I'm also very wet and cold."

"Yeah, sorry about that...wait, here!" Jackle took off his cape and handed it to Hope.

"Thanks." Hope took the cape and wrapped it around her shoulders. Now that she was focused again, she thought she might as well see what this person named Jackle looked like. He had a black head and wore a hat similar to her parents', only it was red, yellow, and blue and curled in the front. He had large, ice-blue eyes and a wide grin, exposing big and pointy teeth. The strangest thing that Hope noticed was that this person had no body. He had hands and feet, where the gloves and shoes matched his hat, but he had no arms, legs, or a torso.

When Jackle noticed her confused expression, he laughed. "Yeah, I get that a lot!"

Hope wanted to laugh along, but when she tried, she felt a surge of pain in her head. "Aah!" Her hands held her head.

"Something wrong?" Jackle asked, leaning closer.

"My head..." Hope mumbled.

"Hang on, I see what the problem is!" Jackle pointed to the yellow Ideya shard on her forehead. "There's a crack on your Ideya! Don't worry, I'll fix it!"

Hope saw him take out a card from one of his gloves and threw it at her Ideya. "Ow! What was that for? You said you'd fix it!" She immediately felt she couldn't trust this Jackle guy.

"And I did! Look!"

Hope slowly looked at her reflection in the stream and saw that the crack was gone. In fact, her head no longer hurt! "Wow, you actually did it!" She felt bad about thinking Jackle could not be trusted. "Thank you, Jackle." she said politely.

"Ah, don't mention it!" Jackle picked up the card and showed it to Hope. "5 of Diamonds. Great for fixing broken Ideya shards." He put the card back in his glove. "So, what are you doing flying around at high speeds this early in the morning?"

"Actually, I was looking for someone to play with." Hope explained.

Jackle's grin got wider. "Really?! Me too! Hey, why don't we play together? Huh? Wanna?"

Hope didn't see any reason against it, and besides, Jackle _had_ been nice enough to help her. Plus, he looked so excited. "Ok!" she agreed. She gave Jackle back his cape. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"Yep! No problem!" Jackle put his cape back on and suggested, "Wanna play tag?"

"Promise you won't bump into me, this time?" Hope asked with a smile.

Jackle cackled. "Ok! Deal!"

Hope loved Jackle's laugh. It was genuine, cute, and she had to admit it was funny, too. "I'll be it, first." she offered.

"Okeydokey!"

Hope started chasing Jackle around Pure Valley. She found him to be slower than her, so she had no trouble catching up to him. It was when she tried to tag him that it got difficult. She was about to tag Jackle's foot, but he moved it out of the way and she missed. It seemed like Jackle having no body was a good advantage.

Jackle laughed and zoomed in another direction. He stopped flying and taunted, "Over here! I'm open! I'm open!"

Hope sailed towards him and thought she would make it, but when she tried to tag his head, he dematerialized and her hand went right through. "Huh??" She heard Jackle laugh behind her and she turned around.

"Not bad, right?"

"How did you do that?" Hope asked, amazed.

Jackle held up a card. "Joker! What you tried to tag wasn't me, but a hologram duplicate!"

"Hey, that's cheating!" Hope protested, though she was impressed he had such powers to do that.

Jackle leaned back in mid-air with hands behind his head. "It's no fun if _everybody_ plays by the rules!"

Hope giggled a bit and shook her head with a smile. "You're insane." she panted, but she meant it in a good way.

"I'm not Insane! I'm Jackle!!" Jackle started up another laughing fit.

Hope saw her chance and flew at Jackle.

Jackle opened his eyes and stopped laughing when he saw Hope flying at him. "Whoa!" He tried to get out of the way, but Hope managed to tag him before he could.

"I got you!" Hope laughed.

"Not for long!" Now it was Jackle who was chasing Hope.

Fortunately for Hope, she was faster and did nifty flying tricks that NiGHTS had taught her. "You're too slow!" she taunted singsongingly.

"_Am I_?" Jackle grinned mischieviously and reached into his glove. He took out a 10 of Spades and suddenly he was flying much faster. Once he was right behind Hope, he took off his cape and used it as a lasso to catch Hope in it.

"What the--?" Hope struggled to get out of the cape, but it was tied good. She saw Jackle appear right in front of her with his victorious grin.

He gently poked where Hope's nose would have been if she had one. "Got ya!" Then he erupted in yet another fit of laughter.

Hope laughed too. "Ok, ok. Wanna let me out now?"

Jackle paused his laughing. "No." And then he continued it.

"Jackle!"

"I'm just kidding!" Jackle freed Hope and put his cape back on. "That was fun! We should play again some day!"

Hope grinned and nodded. "Yeah, we should!"

"So, Hope, where do you live?"

Hope was about to answer, when she realized something. "Hey, how do you know my name? I never told you."

Jackle's grin got wider. "You're name's Hope? Really? Wow! I just guessed it since you have that Ideya of Hope on your head!"

"No kidding!" Hope laughed, quite amazed. "Well, that _is_ how I got my name." Then she remembered she had to answer his question. "Anyway, I live in Crystal Castle."

"Crystal Castle, huh? Well, if I'm ever in the World of Glass, I'll be sure to drop by!"

"Yes, I'd like that." Hope smiled. Even though she just met him, she had to admit she liked Jackle. He was the only person she'd met that didn't seem to care what anybody else thought. And he was pretty funny. "Well, I should probably be getting home, now."

"You're leaving already?"

It was hard to tell, because he was still grinning and his voice didn't change, but Hope thought there was a hint of disappointment coming from Jackle. "Yeah. My parents would be wondering where I am. My morning flights aren't usually this long." she explained.

Jackle shrugged. "Ok! Well, see ya 'round, Hope!" He waved at her before flying away.

Hope waved back. "Bye, Jackle!" Then she too began to fly back to her home. She smiled and happily said to herself, "Wait 'til I tell Mom and Dad about my new friend!"

_Little does Hope know that-- oh wait, I probably shouldn't tell you. You'll have to read the next chapter to find out what happens. X)_


	3. The Parents Don't Approve

_What Hope doesn't know won't hurt her, right? Well..._

Chapter Three: The Parents Don't Approve

"Hey, Hope! Where've you've been all this time?" Reala asked when he saw his daughter fly into the castle.

Hope smiled at her father and hugged him. "Sorry if I worried you, Dad, but I've been playing."

Then Reala noticed something and asked, "Why do you feel a little damp?"

Hope was about to explain, but NiGHTS came in. "Hey, there, Hope!" She went over to Hope and embraced her. She smiled at her quizzically. "Been swimming?"

Hope shook her head. "No, I've just been playing with a new friend."

"Oh!" Reala and NiGHTS both said in understanding.

"What kind of friend?" NiGHTS then asked. "A Visitor? A Nightopian?"

Hope paused to think. "Um, actually, I'm not sure what he is."

"'He'?" Reala said, raising an eyebrow.

"All I know is that his name is Jackle and he's really funny!" Hope began, "We first met when--"

"J-Jackle? Did you say his name was Jackle?" NiGHTS interrupted, looking worried.

"Yeah. We accidentally flew into each other and I fell into the stream but he gave me his cape to dry off--"

"He has a cape?" Reala asked, also looking worried.

"Yeah. And then he fixed my broken Ideya with some magical card--"

"C-card?" NiGHTS and Reala echoed at the same time.

" Yeah. And then we played tag and--" She cut herself off when she noticed her parents were staring at her with wide eyes. "What's wrong?"

NiGHTS and Reala exchanged glances. Then Reala turned to Hope. "Hope, listen to me, I don't ever want you to go around him again, understand?" he told her firmly.

"Huh? But why?" Hope asked, quite surprised.

NiGHTS hesitated before saying, "Because he's a Nightmaren."

Hope's eyes widened in disbelief. "No...no he's not. He can't be! You always told me they don't exist anymore!"

NiGHTS stated, "We thought they didn't, but if Jackle's still alive, then other Nightmarens must be still living, too. Wizeman must've never had gotten rid of them."

Hope looked from NiGHTS to Reala and felt anger in her veins. "Are you just telling me that because you don't want me to hang around boys? Is that it? It is, isn't it."

"No..." NiGHTS began.

"I'm only 12! How could you think that--?"

"Listen, Hope," Reala started in a stern voice that Hope rarely heard. "Jackle's an insane lunatic that used to work for Wizeman. He's a 5-year-old in a 20-year-old Nightmaren body."

"No, he's not! He's my friend!" Hope recoiled boldy. "How could he be a Nightmaren if he was so nice to me, huh?"

"He's just tricking you, Hope!" NiGHTS eyes were watery. "Wizeman may be gone, but if those Nightmarens are still out there, they still have bad intentions! You must avoid them at all cost!"

Hope opened her mouth to protest, but Reala spoke first.

"You will no longer see Jackle or talk to him, is that clear?"

Hope was a little terrified by the severe tone in her father's voice and the way his gleaming eyes looked all of a sudden threatening. She saw no point in continuing the argument, so she gave in. "Yes, Dad."

Reala seemed satisfied. "Good." He said nothing more as he left the room.

NiGHTS sighed and hugged her daughter. "We just don't want you to get hurt, dear." she said quietly.

Hope didn't respond. She just couldn't believe her parents would forbid her to be friends with someone who'd been so kind to her. She was sure Jackle wasn't a Nightmaren. Her parents weren't going to trick her this time.

_Hmm...interesting. Let's see how the tables turn, shall we? On to the next chapter! ...But first I have to, uh, write it. :)_


	4. The Truth About Jackle

_You know, it's strange. I don't really like OC's, usually because most of them steal the spotlight from the real characters, but I just made one. Weird. If you're confused by anything in this chapter, let me know; there's a few tidbits near the end._

Chapter Four: The Truth About Jackle

Hope didn't care what her parents said the previous day, she was going to play with Jackle and that was that. She was almost out of the castle when she heard her mother's voice from behind her.

"Hope, where are you going?"

Hope cringed but turned around with an innocent face. "Just out for another morning flight, Mom."

"I'll come with you." NiGHTS offered quickly.

"No, no, it's ok. You can go rest." Hope told her. When her mother hesitated, Hope added, "I'll be careful of evil Nightmarens, I promise."

NiGHTS still looked unsure, but nodded anyway. "Ok."

Relieved, Hope glided out the doors and into the open air. She saw Reala standing at the edge of the crystal lake, appearing to be deep in thought. She thought about stopping to say good morning to him, but then she was afraid he wouldn't let her go. So she kept flying.

First she went to Pure Valley, to the stream where she met Jackle. She landed beside it and looked around. "Jackle?"

No response.

She tried again. "Jackle, are you there?" Disappointed when the only response she got was a croak of a frog, Hope sat on a rock beside a tree and rested her chin in her hands. "Hmm." A minute later, she thought she could hear high-pitched screaming up high in the distance and it stopped when the tree shook. But she guessed it might have been a bird.

Until an upside-down figure of Jackle appeared right in front of her. "WHOA-- oh, hiya, Hope!"

Hope yelped and fell off the rock, startled.

Jackle laughed, but he stopped when the branch he was holding onto broke and he landed on his head. "OW!"

Hope couldn't help laughing. "Are you ok?"

"I'm ok, but what happened to the world? It's turned upside-down!" Jackle joked.

Hope started laughing again. She loved how Jackle made her laugh so much.

Jackle got to his feet and brushed the leaves off himself. He grinned wider and chuckled a bit when he saw how much Hope was laughing. "Careful there, Hope, you're gonna die laughing."

But she kept laughing when he said that. "Stop! You're too funny!" She managed to calm down a few seconds later. "I was looking for you. Wanna play?"

"Sure!" Jackle beamed. "I've been looking for you too. The other Nightmarens aren't into playing."

Hope froze. "N-Nightmarens?" Was she hearing right, or did Jackle call himself a Nightmaren? "You're...you're a Nightmaren?"

Jackle raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Aren't you?"

Hope quickly shook her head. "No! I'm a--" She stopped. Actually, she didn't even KNOW what she was. She never thought about it. "You can't possibly be a Nightmaren! They don't exist anymore!"

Jackle laughed again. "Who told you that?"

"My parents. They said that Wizeman destroyed all the Nightmarens that failed him, before he died. At least, that's what they said." She didn't want to mention that NiGHTS and Reala told her to stay away from Nightmarens in case they still did exist.

"Pfft! That's just a rumour some dopey Nightopians spread around. Wizeman only banished us. We roam around the empty spaces in the Night Dimension. But ever since word got around that Wizeman was dead, we're free to roam wherever we want!"

Hope couldn't believe it. Her parents _had_ been telling her the truth about Jackle, and she felt terrible that she didn't believe them. Tears started forming in her eyes.

Jackle looked closely at Hope and asked, "Hey, are you crying, Hope?"

Hope looked away. "You're a...just like my parents said...But you're so nice...it just doesn't make sense."

"Listen, sorry about your confusion and stuff, but you're a Nightmaren too, and I can prove it."

Hope crossed her arms. "Ok. Prove it."

Jackle pointed to her face. "You have no nose. Or a neck. Now take your bracelettes off."

Hope removed the large, golden bracelettes.

"See? You have no wrists, either. You probably keep your jewelry on with magic, am I right?"

"Yes..."

"And that's another thing- Nightmarens possess some kind of magic. Now listen to this!" Jackle appeared to be holding something in his hands, but Hope couldn't see anything. Then he started slamming his fists in front of himself in the air, and the loud sound of drums filled the air.

Hope gasped. "You have an invisible drum kit?"

Jackle hit an invisible cymbal to conclude his demonstration. "Yep! All Nightmarens have their own invisible instruments. It's like a thing we've got going on. You have one, too, right?"

Hope held up her ocarina and looked at it, even though she couldn't see it. "Yeah...and so does my mom and dad..."

Jackle grinned triumphantly. "I rest my case. If your parents are Nightmarens, then so are you!"

Still, Hope refused to believe it. "No...it can't be. NiGHTS always said Nightmarens were evil, and she never said anything about working for Wizeman. My mother wouldn't lie to me."

"The truth hurts, Hope. Maybe she just wants to--" Jackle stopped suddenly and stared at Hope with wide eyes. "Hang on, what did you say your mother's name was?"

"NiGHTS."

Jackle continued to stare for a second, then his grin got wider and wider, and he burst out laughing insanely.

Hope uneasily backed up. "What's so funny?"

"NO WAY! NiGHTS had a kid?!" Jackle was rolling in the air from laughing so hard. He snapped his fingers. "THAT'S why you looked so familiar!" Jackle's laughter subsided a little and he wiped a tear from his eye. "So who's your dad?"

She narrowed her eyes a bit. "Reala."

Jackle began to laugh even more. "REALA?! HA! This is too much! AHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Hope glared at Jackle and was becoming very annoyed with him. "Fine. Go laugh your head off, you insane lunatic." She turned around and started to fly away.

"HAHAHA-- hey, wait, Hope!" Jackle grabbed her arm.

Hope looked at him and was about to tell him to let go, but there was something in his eyes and something about that smile that made her hold her tongue.

"Gee, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad." He stiffled a giggle. "See, a while ago, Wizeman's latest Nightmarens met up with me and my gang. They told us what had happened and then they said something so crazy, even _I_ didn't believe it!"

"And what was that?"

"That NiGHTS and Reala had fallen in love and put Wizeman in 'temporary death'. Most of us dismissed the fact as being nothing more than an excuse to leave Nightmare." He brightened. "But thanks to you, I know it's true! Oh man, wait 'til the guys hear this!"

Hope frowned. She hadn't wanted to help Jackle at all like that, but there was something she didn't understand. "What do you mean by 'temporary death'?"

Jackle explained, "It's impossible to kill Wizeman permenantly because he's, well, a god. But, according to my knowledge, he's been beaten by Visitors on two occasions. The first time, Visitors put him in 'temporary death' for about 10 or 11 years. The second time wasn't as long; about 6 years." He paused, looking up thoughtfully. "Now, if I'm calculating correctly, this must be the 12th year since your parents put Wizeman in this 'temporary death'. Who knows when he'll come back, though. Might take one year, might take many."

Hope couldn't help feeling that Jackle wasn't telling the truth. "You're lying." she said, taking a skeptical step back. "My parents said that Wizeman is never coming back, and I believe anything my parents say."

"Did you believe them when they told you I was a Nightmaren?"

Hope felt a pang of guilt; she had forgotten about that. She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She looked down sadly.

"Uh-huh. Didn't think so." More sympathetically, Jackle added, "And I hate to tell you this, Hope, but NiGHTS and Reala _are_ Nightmarens too."

"Stop! Please." Hope begged. "I...I don't want to hear anymore."

"Ok, I understand. It's not easy suddenly realizing that you're one of us, is it?"

Hope felt a rush of anger and she yanked her arm from Jackle's grip. "You know what? My parents were right. You ARE a Nightmaren." And she meant that in the worst way possible.

_Ooh... Yeah, uh, please review. I like reviews. :)_


	5. She Doesn't Believe It

_You may think Hope and Jackle's friendship went down the drain in the previous chapter, right? Well...yeah, you are right. But is there a chance that their friendship might be saved? Let's find out._

Chapter Five: She Doesn't Believe It

She couldn't believe it. She _shouldn't_ believe it. Her family were Nightmarens? She didn't believe it. Jackle was a Nightmaren and that meant he was lying. And to think Hope stood up for him!

Hope was on her way back home, and was relieved to find that Jackle hadn't been following her. But even after what he said, she still sort of liked Jackle. She couldn't forget how nice he was to her, and how much fun they had when they played together. She couldn't even seem to get his whole-hearted laughter or his eyes glinting with mischief out of her head. It was then that she got to thinking, what if Jackle's not like the Nightmarens her parents had told her about? _He could be a nice one,_ Hope thought, _and he didn't seem to be lying, he looked pretty sincere. But I'm not a Nightmaren. ...Am I?_

Crystal Castle came into view, its windows glistening in the sunlight. She figured she could ask her parents if they were Nightmarens, but then they would know she had been seeing Jackle again. And she didn't want to see the look on her father's face. Hope decided she would say nothing to NiGHTS and Reala, not until she found out the truth. She stopped in front of the lake and peered down at her reflection. She wasn't a human, nor a Nightopian, nor an animal, and those were the only three creatures she knew besides Nightmarens. Still, she wouldn't trust Jackle fully. He could've just _thought_ she was a Nightmaren, simply because Hope didn't look like anything else he'd seen. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a voice behind her.

"Have a nice flight?" Reala asked.

Hope nearly jumped, but turned around, trying to look as calm as possible. "Yes, Dad. Very nice." Her father appeared to be waiting for her to say something more. "No, I didn't see any evil Nightmarens."

Reala smiled. "That's my girl." He kissed her head and turned to leave.

"Wait, Dad?"

Reala looked back at Hope. "Yes, dear, what is it?"

Hope hesitated. "Can I ask you something?"

All of a sudden, her father looked very nervous. "It's not that question about babies again, is it?"

"No, it's just..." Even though Hope was very tempted to ask about Reala's origins, she forced herself to put if out of her mind. "Um, never mind. It's not important."

Reala looked relieved. "All right." He flew inside the castle.

Sighing, Hope laid down on her stomach at the edge of the lake and let her hand dangle in the water. She wondered if Jackle was right. If they _were_ Nightmarens, why did her parents never tell her? And what other secrets were they hiding from her?

_Sorry for the really short chapter; the person responsible has been shot. ...Meaning me. But I'm still alive, so I can continue writing! -_


	6. Jackle's Friend

_Today I'm getting a new laptop! SQUEE!! Sorry for the outburst, just start reading the chapter._

Chapter Six: Jackle's Friend

After a lot of thought, Hope decided to go see Jackle again. She didn't care what her parents said; Hope still felt trust in Jackle. Hope checked outside. Her parents weren't there at this time. Relieved, Hope flew out of Crystal Castle and searched for Jackle.

Hope found the place where she met that card-flinging Nightmaren. She couldn't see Jackle anywhere, but she figured that Jackle would be on his way. Hope rested herself on the grass and looked up at the sky. There were a few clouds in the sky, and there wasn't a sign of any rain. Just a fair sky...

"HIYA, HOPE!" Jackle appeared in Hope's view.

Hope yelped a bit when she saw Jackle suddenly appear. "H-How'd you sneak up on me?"

Jackle explained, "You seemed so caught up in looking at clouds. I may be loud most of the time, but that doesn't mean I don't know what quiet means!"

Hope got her senses and began, "Listen, even though I'm not sure if I'm a Nightmaren, I still trust you, somehow. And I'm sorry I left you so angrily yesterday."

"And I'm sorry I called you a Nightmaren in the first place! I didn't know you would take it so insultingly!" Jackle exclaimed. "If you want, I won't ever say it again!"

"Apology accepted. And thank you, for being very considerate."

"Ah, don't mention it." Jackle said casually.

Hope figured that if she put the past behind her, everything will be all right. "So, what are we going to do today?"

Jackle pondered for a moment, then shouted, "Oh, I know! I KNOW! There's this new ride in Lost Park and its reeeeally scary! Follow me!" Then Jackle sped off.

Hope shrugged and chased after him. She flew as fast as she could. Hope could see Jackle ahead. With ease, she passed Jackle and taunted, "I'll get there first!" After about a minute, Hope looked back and she couldn't see Jackle. However, when she stopped at Lost Park, Hope was surprised to see Jackle already there.

"You can never match the super speed of Jackle!" Jackle cackled.

"How'd you do that?" Hope asked breathlessly.

"Actually, I got lazy and teleported myself here." Jackle explained. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go on the new ride!"

Jackle, Hope, and some Nightopians got on the roller coaster. The Nightopians apparently wanted to sit in the back rows, away from Jackle. Then, the ride started. It started going up slowly, then dropped quickly. The ride went thorugh corkscrews, loop-de-loops, and was very dark.

"HAHAHAHAHA!!" Jackle laughed with his arms--er, hands in the air.

Hope was thrilled by the ride's exhilarating speed. Also, since it was so dark, every quick turn, drop or spin was unexpected. Several times she had to hold onto her hat to make sure it didn't go flying off. Eventually, the ride ended and everyone got off dizzily.

Jackle tumbled to the ground, still laughing a bit. "Wasn't that fun?!"

Hope dropped down beside him. "It sure was!" she panted. "My heart's beating like crazy!"

Jackle lifted his head up. "You've got a heart? Cool! I wish I had one."

Hope tilted her head in confusion. "You don't have a heart?"

"Can't have a heart if I can't have a body." Jackle said simply.

"Then how do you...live?"

Jackle opened his mouth to explain, but he suddenly looked puzzled. "I don't really know..."

Hope shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter. Wanna go get some candy?"

Jackle jumped up with a huge grin. "DO I EVER!" He raced away to the candy stand.

Hope giggled and went after him.

After they had some cotton candy and ice cream, Hope looked at the sun and realized it was getting late. "I should probably go now." she told Jackle.

"Why?" Jackle asked.

"Because I don't want my parents to worry." Hope explained. She admitted, "And...I'm not even supposed to be talking to you."

Jackle's grin turned mischievious. "Ohhh, I see how it is. Nee and Ree don't want you talking to a Nightmaren, but you're not gonna listen to them! You're AWESOME!"

Hope hardly felt awesome, now that she realized she had gone behind her parents' backs, but she was glad to get a compliment from Jackle. "Don't worry, I won't tell them about you. They'd freak out if they knew I was friends with a Nightmaren."

"Yeah, that's how it is--" Jackle suddenly stopped and looked somewhat seriously at Hope. "Wait, you'd consider me your friend?" he asked slowly.

"Sure. Why not? I mean, you're the only one who's ever wanted to play with me, and, well, I like you. As a friend." Hope smiled, proving this was true.

Jackle grinned so widely, that it seemed to take up most of his face. "WOW! REALLY?! THIS IS THE BEST!"

Hope laughed a bit, but said, "Whoa, wait a minute! What's the big deal?"

Jackle calmed down and beamed at Hope. "I've never had a friend before."

_Aw, that was cute. I think, anyway. But I'd really love to know what YOU think! D Please review!_


	7. When Parents Talk Part 1

_Sorry it took so long to update; my new laptop was taking FOREVER to set up. This chapter is basically NiGHTS and Reala talking. Beware some lovey-doveyness. ...That is all._

Chapter Seven: When Parents Talk- Part 1

After a tiring night of Dualizing with Visitors and listening to Owl's nonstop squaking, NiGHTS was grateful to finally be back home. On her way to her room, she stopped to check on Hope. Opening the door quietly, NiGHTS saw her daughter fast alseep in her bed and seemed to be smiling. NiGHTS smiled as well and carefully closed the door, not wanting to wake her precious daughter.

NiGHTS got to the room she shared with Reala and she opened the door, pulling off her hat and swishing her long, blond hair slowly and dramatically. She heard Reala give a low whistle, and NiGHTS grinned slyly, taking that as a compliment.

Until Reala said from behind his newspaper, "Can you believe the price on bananas?"

NiGHTS grimaced and threw her hat at Reala's head.

"Whoa! Hey!" Reala looked up at her, baffled. "What did I do? I'm just reading this thing some Visitor dropped and I don't even know what bananas are!"

NiGHTS put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. She sighed, floated over to the bed and hovered above her mate, letting her long hair fall beside Reala's face. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked in mock scorn.

Reala tossed the newspaper to the floor but kept his eyes on NiGHTS. "Nothing a little hug can't fix." He grabbed NiGHTS' arms and pulled her down to him in an embrace. "I missed you."

"You say that every night."

"Because it's true."

NiGHTS looked at Reala. His eyes were shining with honesty and NiGHTS immediately believed him. "I missed you too." She kissed him lightly, laid beside him, and rested her head on Reala's chest.

"Long night?" Reala asked, stroking the top of NiGHTS' head.

"Yeah, it was pretty tiring." NiGHTS murmured.

Reala sounded a little disappointed when he said, "So, I guess you'll probably want to sleep now."

NiGHTS turned her head up to him. "Aw, I can give you a few minutes." She took off Reala's hat and dropped it beside hers. Putting her arms around Reala, she kissed him for longer.

Reala closed his eyes and kissed NiGHTS back, running his hands through NiGHTS' soft and silky hair. When they finally pulled apart, Reala purred, "Now, how exactly should I go about getting what I want, hmm?"

NiGHTS laughed at this. "I remember when you said that to Will and I thought, 'That is SO wrong!'"

Reala chuckled. "Be quiet, it sounded better in my head. I only realized how wrong it sounded _after_ I said it."

NiGHTS smiled and looked up thoughtfully. She sighed, remembering all the times she and Reala had been through before they were mates. It seemed so long ago. "Hey, Ree, remember when you spoke French? At the clock tower in Bellbridge?"

Reala thought for a second, then grinned. "Mais oui, ma belle." He was glad when he got a giggle out of NiGHTS.

"I didn't even know you spoke French so fluently!" NiGHTS commented. "The first time you said it, I had to stop myself from laughing."

"You find speaking another language funny?" Reala asked with an eyebrow raised.

"No," NiGHTS began. She paused and put her hands on Reala's shoulders. "Actually, it really turned me on." she purred, fluttering her long, thick eyelashes.

They kissed again for quite some time. A few minutes later, the two of them were silently resting.

But then NiGHTS broke the silence by saying, "I'm worried about Hope."

Reala looked at her. "What?"

"It's just...she seems lonely sometimes. I mean, she doesn't have any real friends."

"What about Visitors and Nightopians?"

"No, no, those don't count." NiGHTS said dismissively. "I think she wants to be with her own kind."

"But NiGHTS, _we're_ her only kind. Are you saying she should start hanging around with those evil Nightmarens?"

"No, not at all!" NiGHTS sighed. "I know we love her, and I know she knows we love her, but don't you think she'd want more than that?"

"You mean like a real friend?"

NiGHTS felt like Reala had read her mind. "Exactly. A real friend." She looked down. "But, there aren't any good Nightmarens."

Reala thought for a moment, then he suggested, "What about we give Hope a brother or sister?"

NiGHTS looked at him in amusement at first, then frowned doubtfully. "I don't know. If we did, the age difference would be way off."

After Reala pondered some more, he told NiGHTS, "I'll talk to her. See what I can come up with."

"You will?"

"I can ask Hope how she feels and we'll work something out. Ok?"

NiGHTS thought that was a good idea. "Ok. Thank you." She laid her head beside Reala's and closed her eyes.

Reala turned the light off and gently caressed NiGHTS' cheek with the back of his hand. "Dors, mon amour. Sleep, my love. We will see what tomorrow brings."

_As you can see, I just wanted to write a chapter with only NiGHTS and Reala in it. And yes, I can speak fluent French. ...Ferme ta bouch._


	8. News From Owl

_All in favour for another NiGHTS game say "aye" in your reviews! And get ready for a long, juicy chapter! I thought the first half was a little weird, though. And sorry I couldn't think up of a good chapter title._

Chapter Eight: News From Owl

Hope was on her way to get outside the castle, when she was suddenly scooped up by her father. She laughed and squirmed, trying to get free. "Dad! Let me go!"

Reala held his daughter and smiled. "Without saying 'good morning' to me? Not a chance." He started to tickle Hope and still manage to hold onto her.

Hope was now laughing even more. She struggled, but her father had a firm hold on her. "Daaaaahahahahaaad! Please--hahahahahaha! S-stop! Hahahahaha!"

NiGHTS heard the commotion and flew in. She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Reala, are you torturing our daughter again?"

Reala stopped tickling Hope. "No." he said innocently, through he was having trouble keeping a straight face.

NiGHTS turned to Hope. "Is your father torturing you, Hope?"

"Yes." Hope giggled.

Reala looked at his daughter with a fake glare. "Traitor." He let her go and patted her head.

NiGHTS kissed Hope's cheek and said, "Good morning, sweetie. Have a good sleep?"

Hope nodded. "Uh-huh. It was very nice." She remembered the dream she had had. She dreamed she was with her mother and father and Jackle. She and Jackle were playing in the water at Aqua Garden, while her parents were watching them on the beach, smiling and holding hands. It was such a perfect dream, that Hope wanted and was about to tell it to her parents. But she didn't want to get herself or Jackle in trouble, so she said nothing about it. "Anyway, I'm just going to go out and play--"

"Oh, hold on, Hope." NiGHTS interrupted. "I was thinking we could all go to Memory Forest. You know, just to have a little family tme. What do you say?"

Hope had wanted to visit Jackle, but she guessed a day with her parents wasn't bad. So she just answered, "Ok."

Once they had arrived in Memory Forest, Reala told the others, "There's the concert stage just up ahead. Let's check it out."

Everyone headed to the concert stage and sat in the seats. The audience was made up of Nightopians and Visitors. Some Nightopians gathered up on stage and got their instruments ready. Other Nightopians were at the floating music notes, ready to hit them when the time was right.

The musical piece began. Even though Hope loved music, it just didn't feel right. Hope wanted a friend with her. She wished Jackle was with here.

"Hope! Wake up!" NiGHTS told her.

Hope opened her eyes. "Huh? What did I miss?"

"The whole concert." Reala replied with an eyebrow raised.

"No I didn't! I listened to the whole thing! It was great!" Hope lied, trying to smile widely.

"Then what piece did they play at the end?" NiGHTS challenged.

Hope was at a loss. "Uh, the William Tell Overture? The 1812 Overture? No, the Space Oddysey!"

"Dreams Dreams." Reala answered. "Don't sweat it. When I first went to a concert, I fell asleep too."

"It's true. He did." NiGHTS told Hope.

"S-sorry." Hope blushed.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go home." Reala told his family.

When they were about halfway home, Reala told NiGHTS, "You fly on ahead, NiGHTS. I'm going to talk to Hope for a bit."

NiGHTS seemed to understand. "All right." NiGHTS continued flying in the direction of Crystal Castle, and Reala turned in a different direction.

"Come on, Hope."

"Where are we going?" Hope asked, flying up beside him.

"You'll see." her father answered.

It wasn't long before they came upon the Dream Gate. Hope admired the brilliance of the sparkling fountain under the full moon. It gave her a sense of power as well as serene calm. She guessed Reala brought her here because he knew it would make her feel more relaxed. But she still didn't know what he wanted to talk to her about.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Reala, looking up at the fountain.

"Sure is." Hope agreed, coming to stand beside him. "Hey, isn't Mom supposed to be here tonight?"

Reala explained, "I'm letting her take the night off. So we can have a little father/daughter time." He sat on the edge of the fountain and beckoned Hope to sit on his lap.

Hope did and she rested her head on her father's shoulder. For a minute, she closed her eyes and breathed to the rhythm of her father's chest rising and falling. She was so relaxed, she thought she might fall asleep.

But Reala spoke up softly, "Don't fall asleep, dear, there's something I want to ask you."

Hope opened her eyes and looked up at her father. "Yes, Dad?"

"Your mother and I have been talking this morning, and we were wondering if you'd like to start joining your mother in greeting Visitors here at the Dream Gate."

"Really?" Hope was a little surprised, but very excited. "You mean I get to come here every night and Dualize with humans and stuff?"

Reala smiled. "That's right. NiGHTS and I guessed you must feel pretty lonely, since you don't have any real friends, so to make up for it, you can hang out with Visitors and teach them how to fly."

Hope couldn't contain her joy. "Wow! That sounds great! Will you be coming with us, too?"

Her father hesitated and his smiled faded. "No. I'm afraid not."

Hope tilted her head in confusion. "But why not?"

Reala looked away and sighed. "It's complicated. You wouldn't understand."

The young Nightmaren wanted to press further, but she figured she wouldn't get any more answers from Reala that night. "Oh. Ok, Dad. Well, thank you anyway. I'll still be happy going with just Mom."

Reala turned back to Hope and kissed his daughter's head. "Your mother will teach you everything you need to know. She's quite an amazing--" He faltered, almost like he was about to say something he shouldn't.

"An amazing what?" Hope prodded.

"An amazing mother." Reala finished, though Hope could tell that's not what he was going to say.

Hope wondered if now she should ask her father about their species and origin, but a hooting noise came from above. She and Reala looked up and saw Owl flutter down to them.

"Oh, hello there, you two." Owl greeted. More to Reala, he asked a little suspiciously, "Where's NiGHTS? She's still alive and well, isn't she?"

Hope thought that was an odd way to ask the question and she glanced at her father to see his reaction.

"She's taking the night off." Reala told Owl edgily, his eyes slightly narrowing.

Owl gave a hoot of frustration. "She can't just take a night off! Who's supposed to greet Visitors with me now? I doubt you are suitible for the job, Reala."

Hope saw Reala's eyes were now glinting with resentment as he scoffed, "And I doubt you're wrong about that. So from now on, my daughter will accompany NiGHTS in greeting Visitors."

Owl turned to Hope and said more sweetly, "Hoo, congratulations, my dear! Yes, you will make a fine, er, Dualizer."

Hope smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, Owl."

Then the old bird asked, "By the way, how are you? You're being treated well by both parents, I assume?"

She thought that question was odd as well, but she replied anyway, "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, no reason..." Owl responded vaguely, glancing to the side.

"What are you saying, bird?" Reala questioned in a tone that Hope identified to be threatened.

Owl began casually, "Oh, you know, maybe because you're..."

Reala stood up and leered at Owl. "Are you saying I don't take care of my family?"

"Now, now, Reala, let's not joust. I only want what's best for NiGHTS and Hope--"

"_I_ am what's best for them."

"I know you must feel like that, but--"

"Why don't you trust me?!" Reala nearly shouted.

There was a moment's hesitation, and Owl glanced at Hope. "I must speak with you alone." he told Reala.

Reala turned to Hope. "Wait here." he instructed her, and Hope could see he looked upset. Reala and Owl drifted into the forest and continued their dispute.

Hope really wanted to hear what they were saying, even though her father told her to wait, so she crept closer to where Reala and Owl were and listened.

"I'm telling you this for your own safety, too, Reala." Owl was saying. "I've received word from some Nightopians that Wizeman may still be alive."

Reala didn't look surprised, instead, he was solemn. "I was afraid his death was only temporary."

"It's just a rumour, but if it's true, he and the other Nightmarens might once again try to take over Nightopia."

Hope became frightened at this. This 'temporary death' must've been what Jackle was talking about. Questions flooded her mind. What if Jackle started to work for Wizeman again? Will they still be friends? Or will Jackle's new loyalty for Wizeman come between them?

"In the event that that does happen again, I _will_ keep my family safe." Reala went on.

Owl sighed and shook his head. "I'm sure you'll want to, but how can you when you're a--"

"I know what I am!" Reala snapped. "Don't forget that NiGHTS and Hope are also--"

"I'm just saying it will be easier for someone without an evil past." Owl said sternly.

"Evil past? Ha!" Reala laughed in scorn. "You think just because I have a dark background, my family's in danger?"

"I'm saying they're at risk. What if you suddenly--"

Reala seemed to have had enough. He clutched Owl by the neck and snarled through his teeth, "I am _not_ going to turn my back on them, I can assure you!"

Hope nearly gasped at her father's action, for she couldn't believe he would ever do such a thing.

Owl flailed his wings in panic. "Please, Reala! I am only trying to help you!"

Reala tightened his grip, but only for a second before letting go. "No. You're only trying to help yourself."

Hope couldn't bear it any longer. Turning around, she flew back to the fountain and tried to forget everything she saw and heard. Unfortunately, the scene kept replaying itself in her mind like a haunting ghost. She then saw her father come up to her.

"It's time to go." he told her. He turned around to glare once more at Owl before taking Hope by the hand and flying away with her.

All of a sudden, Hope didn't feel so calm around her father. In fact, she felt slightly afraid. And she couldn't help but asking, "Dad, what was Owl talking about?"

Reala glanced at Hope, a little timidly. "Did you hear?"

"Most of it." Hope admitted. To her surprise, Reala was silent. "Dad? Are you ok?"

For the first time, her father looked weary. "Don't worry about me, Hope. And don't listen to what Owl says."

Hope said nothing more. She turned her head up to the sky, hoping to find comfort in the stars. But the stars had never looked so far away.

_Ooh, long chapter with lots of drama! Mwahahahaha! :D I'm not really evil, I was just having fun throttling Owl in this chapter. :) ...What? He's annoying!_


	9. When Parents Talk Part 2

_Sorry in advance for the shortness in chapter. I needed to make a filler._

Chapter Nine: When Parents Talk- Part 2

As soon as she and Reala had arrived home, Reala told Hope to wait in her bed. Then Reala went to talk to NiGHTS urgently. What he didn't know was that Hope had snuck out of bed and was eavesdropping behind the door of her parents' room.

Inside, Reala was pacing around and NiGHTS was sitting in a chair, tapping her foot nervously. Reala had just finished telling his mate what Owl had told him at the Dream Gate.

"What are we going to do?" Reala kept muttering.

"There's a chance the rumour's not true." NiGHTS pointed out, trying to be positive. "Maybe Wizeman's not really alive. It could be some other Nightmaren playing a trick on some Nightopians." Then she frowned as she added, "Nightopians can be very naive, but they're almost never wrong." She saw Reala was biting his lip and she felt concern for him. "Ree? Are you ok?"

There was a slight hesitation and Reala didn't look at NiGHTS. "I strangled Owl."

NiGHTS' eyes widened in disbelief and she stood up. "You what?!"

"I didn't kill him!" Reala said quickly in defense. "I don't know what happened. I guess I just kinda snapped."

"Reala! You know better than that!" NiGHTS scolded with her hands on her hips.

Reala frowned and rubbed his arm. "I was just tired of him saying how I wasn't good enough for you and Hope."

NiGHTS' face softened. "He said that?"

"Not directly, but you could tell that's where he was coming from."

NiGHTS gazed at her mate sadly. "Oh, Ree." She went over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You know that's not true. Owl just doesn't understand that love has changed you."

Hope felt guilty that she was listening when she wasn't supposed to, so she floated back to her room. Unfortunately, she was missing an important part of the conversation.

NiGHTS went on, "You're not the dark, cold-hearted Nightmaren you were created to be."

Reala turned towards her. "I'd still be if it weren't for you." he said affectionately. He kissed her and sighed. "I just wish others can see past the claws and the fangs and the Persona."

"And the lipstick." NiGHTS added with a smile.

"What's wrong with the lipstick?" Reala asked sternly with narrowed eyes.

NiGHTS giggled. "Nothing." She nudged his cheek and said, "I like you just the way you are."

Reala put his arms around NiGHTS. "Did I ever tell you that you were the most beautiful Nightmaren I ever knew?"

"A few times, yes." NiGHTS answered.

"Hope's going to grow up to be beautiful, too." Reala noted. "She's already quite attractive."

NiGHTS nodded, but she was frowning. "Reala, Hope's not going to find a mate, is she? I mean, besides her, we're the only good Nightmarens in the Night Dimension."

Now Reala frowned and sighed. "I realized that, as well. But she doesn't know she's a Nightmaren, so maybe...No. I can't think of a solution."

"Well, we don't have to worry about that right now." NiGHTS said, putting the point behind them. "Right now, our main concern is protecting her from other Nightmarens. And from Wizeman, if he has managed to revive himself again."

Reala pulled NiGHTS closer. "I will do everything in my power to keep you and our daughter safe from whatever threat comes our way. Even if it kills me."

NiGHTS put her head on Reala's chest. "Don't say that, Ree. Besides, I should be the one to die for our family."

Reala lifted NiGHTS' head up to meet her eyes. "No, NiGHTS." he told her somewhat sternly. "I've nearly lost you once. I'm not going to lose you again. And anyway, Hope needs you more. She can survive without a father figure in her life." He added more tenderly, "I remember you telling me a long time ago that freedom was the most important thing to you. So don't get yourself trapped in death. Because that's much harder to escape from than a cage."

NiGHTS couldn't help smiling. "Reala, that was so deep. I'm impressed."

Reala shrugged, but his eyes were shining. "And right now, your freedom, as well as Hope's, is the most important thing to me. I would die for you both."

NiGHTS closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "Let's not talk about death right now, darling. I want to stay in your arms a while longer."

_I guess the reason I cut it short was because some of you (except Yunagirlamy ;D) were probably getting bored of all the NxR romance fluff. Sometimes I write it without really realizing it. Sorry once more._


	10. A Real Friend

_Yeah, uh, anyone else think Reala's hot? -coughs- Ahem, back to the story._

Chapter Ten: A Real Friend

Hope ran her fingers along the rubber walls of the Soft Museum as she floated through it. "This is where you used to live?" she asked Jackle, who was accompanying her.

"Yep! And I just started to live here again recently!" Jackle replied. He grabbed her hand. "Come on! I wanna show you something really cool!"

Hope let herself be led by Jackle to a large and colourful room. It looked like a child's game room. It was cluttered with oversized toys, funny-looking dolls, and a large Jack-in-the-Box. The place was a little dusty, after so many years of none-use, but Hope had to admit it looked very fun. "Wow! What is this room?"

Jackle answered, "It's my old lair. Whenever I'd find a Visitor, I'd challenge them to a game of cards, telling them that if they win, I'd let them go, but if they lose, I'd take their Ideya." He smirked. "But every one of them lost. No one can beat me!"

A frown appeared on Hope's features. "That's terrible. Why would you do such a thing?"

Jackle shrugged. "I was just doing my job. But I wasn't like some of the other Nightmarens, who simply ambushed Visitors and stole their Ideya. Like Re-- oh, I forgot. Never mind!"

Hope knew he was about to say Reala. And after what he did to Owl the previous night, she could imagine her father seizing a helpless Visitor, fiercely swiping the Visitor's Ideya and leaving without a care. She pictured the hateful glare in his frosty emerald-blue eyes. But she still refused to believe it. _It never happened,_ she told herself. _My father's not a Nightmaren._ Then she remembered Owl saying something about an evil past. Could this past be what Jackle was talking about?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Jackle, who asked, "Hey, Hope! Wanna play some card games? I promise I won't take anything from you if you lose!"

Hope chuckled, then said, "I don't know how to play any card games."

"Oh. Well, I'll teach you!" Jackle sat on the floor and beckoned Hope to join him.

Hope sat beside him and Jackle held up a stack of cards.

"First," began Jackle, shuffling the cards at an amazing speed. "we start with the easiest game every imagined: Concentration."

Half an hour later...

"The object of Cheat is to place down cards in a specific order. But if you don't have that card, then you just pick another card and place it down without anybody suspecting." Jackle explained. "But that doesn't work a lot of the time. So I'll show you how to REALLY cheat!"

"You cheat a lot with your games, don't you?" Hope noted.

"Only if the person I'm playing against is really good. I only show a little mercy if the person sucks." Jackle told her.

Another half-hour later...

"You have sucessfully learned the way of the cards."

"Why are you talking like that?" Hope asked, trying not to laugh.

Jackle grinned. "Ah, I just thought it was funny." He began shuffling. "You ready to play a real game against me? I'll go easy on ya."

Hope wasn't sure if she had a chance against Jackle, but she didn't really care if she lost. "Why not?" It was a pretty tough game, and it ended rather quickly. Just like she had guessed, Hope lost. But it didn't matter to her because she had fun anyway.

"Good game, Hope!" Jackle complimented. "You're not too shabby! But I cheated big-time at the end, so it wasn't all your fault. Next time, we'll play Poker!"

Hope nodded. "I'll look forward to that." Then she yawned. "It's getting pretty late. I think I should go now."

"Aw..." Jackle pouted.

"I want to stay longer, but my parents will be worried about me. Sorry, Jackle." Hope apologized.

Jackle sighed and shrugged it off. "Oh, well. It's ok. Come on, I'll fly you out."

They flew out of the Soft Museum in the direction of Crystal Castle. It was a clear and warm night with a gentle breeze. Hope and Jackle chatted and laughed along the way.

Jackle glanced at the ground below them and dove down to it, signaling for Hope to follow.

Hope glided after him, and saw he was flying over a small river, skipping cards expertly on the waves. Interested, she flew alongside him and Jackle showed her how to skip cards. Hope thought it was tricky at first, but she got the hang of it and became quite good at it.

They soon drifted away from the river and came to a sunflower field. Even though it was night time, the sunflowers were still opened wide. Things don't have to make sense in the World of Dreams.

"Hey, Hope! Check this out!"

Hope turned to Jackle and saw him throw a card at the stem of a sunflower, slicing right through it. He caught the flower before it fell to the ground and handed it to Hope. She took it with a smile. "Wow! That was so cool!" She even felt herself blush a little. "Thanks, Jackle."

"Don't mention it."

She wasn't sure, but Hope thought she could see Jackle was blushing as well. It was hard to tell because his head was black. For a second, she stared into his eyes. She didn't see the insane look that most people saw. She only saw someone high-strung and spirited. Someone who could make her happy no matter what. A real friend.

"Hope?"

Hope recognized the voice instantly and her heart stopped. She fearfully turned and saw who was standing a few feet away from her and Jackle.

It was NiGHTS.

_Ooooooh! Busted! How're Hope's parents gonna react to the fact that Hope was secretly friends with Jackle all this time? Please review._


	11. It's Not Fair

_Update already? Score! This chapter oughta be interesting._

Chapter Eleven: It's Not Fair

There was a silence between the three Nightmarens and the air seemed thick with tension.

Finally, Hope had the courage to break the silence. "M-Mom?" But her voice was shaky and timid.

NiGHTS was staring back and forth at Hope and Jackle, wide-eyed and in complete shock. "Hope...you lied to us."

There was a tone in her mother's voice that Hope didn't hear from her before. Sadness? Confusion? Disappointment? Maybe a combination of them. Whatever it was, Hope felt a large weight in the pit of her stomach and her heart twisted in guilt. "I'm...I'm sorry..."

"Hiya, NiGHTS!" Jackle spoke up, and Hope guessed he was trying to make the situation lighter. "Long time no see! You probably don't recognize me 'cause I shrunk a bit after our last battle, but--"

"I'll get to you, Jackle." NiGHTS cut him off rather sharply. Turning her attention back to her daughter, "When your father hears about this..." She sighed, but continued firmly, "I'd hate to think what he'll think."

Hope gulped. She hated to think what her father would think as well. If seeing her mother's distraught gaze was bad enough, she didn't want to wonder what Reala's icy glare would be like.

"And you..." the purple jester took a step towards Jackle. "Stay away from my daughter, you lunatic!"

Hope was shocked at the fiercity in NiGHTS' voice. She had always known her mother to be gentle and loving, but never savage. She was also surprised to see NiGHTS baring her teeth threateningly, and her eyes blazing in the moonlight. For a split second, it was as if Hope didn't recognize her. "Mom..."

"Let's go, Hope." NiGHTS glared at Jackle a second longer before taking her daughter's hand firmly and flying off with her.

Tears formed in the corners of Hope's large, blue eyes, but she refused to cry. Why was she afraid of her mother all of a sudden? She turned her head to look back at Jackle, who was looking back at her with a trace of sadness in his eyes. "Bye," she whispered.

Jackle's voice was barely audible. "Bye."

--

It was only when she got in her room that Hope finally let the tears spill down her face. She sank helplessly in her bed and put her face on her pillow and continued to sob. _It's not fair!_ she wailed inwardly. _It's just not fair! How could they do this to me?_

She had just had a severe talk with her parents- none too short, mind you. Reala did most of the talking, or rather, shouting. When Hope had tried to explain something, NiGHTS had interrupted, adding on to Reala's argument. NiGHTS didn't talk very much, though, as much as she did frown with tears in her eyes. What Hope thought was most frightening, however, was the way her father reacted. Reala's words snapped out like whips, occasionally making Hope wince. All the while, he kept his burning glare on his daughter. It was so terrifying, yet Hope could not look away. For a moment, she didn't know who he was. It was that unnatural.

And now here she was, crying in her bed. Alone. Her father had confined her to her room for disobeying him. She was not allowed to come out until she was told, and she most _certainly_ was not allowed to hang around with Jackle anymore. She sniffed. _It's not fair... _

Hope sniffed one final time and bitterly wiped the tears from her eyes. She got off her bed and gazed around her room, as if seeing it for the first time. It had always looked warm and cozy, but now it just looked like a comfortable prison cell. All of a sudden she got a strong urge to escape. She went over to her door and turned the knob. Locked. She was surprised, for this was the only time her door had ever been locked. But it made sense, she realized, that even if it wasn't locked, she'd still get caught getting out that way. She turned to her windows. Unfortunately, they did not open, providing her no escape unless she broke them, and she didn't want to do that because the noise would be heard by her parents and she might even hurt herself. There seemed no other way, and Hope became impatient. She felt that if she didn't get out of her room soon, she would blow up.

"There must be some other way!" Hope insisted. She stopped flying in circles and sat down to think. A few seconds later, she remembered something and got an idea. "Dad always said he had teleportation abilities, so maybe I have them too!"

She got up and stared at the space in front of her. She struck the space with her hand, but nothing happened. She tried a different approach, this time imagining power flow through her hand as she thought of a portal magically appearing. Still no luck. She tried many other techniques, but none seemed to work. Hope was becoming more and more frustrated. "I've got to get out of here!" she said indignantly. She flew around in more circles with her hands firmly pressing against her temples. She was suddenly afraid she was losing her mind. Hope forced herself to stop moving and calm down. After some deep breathing, she closed her eyes to concentrate. She focused all her energy in one particular spot and...

--

NiGHTS and Reala were now alone in their room, though they weren't speaking to each other.

Finally, Reala sighed and asked his mate, "Do you think...I was too hard on her?"

NiGHTS didn't look like she wanted to answer that question. Instead, she replied, "She's still young. It's natural for her to be sensitive." She paused before adding, "But if she's anything like me, she'll go crazy being shut in a small enough space for a period of time."

Reala frowned, but saw sense in what NiGHTS said. "Yes, you're right. I shouldn't have confined her to her room. And I shouldn't have been so tough on her."

"I never said you were..."

"You didn't have to."

NiGHTS gave a sympathetic smile. "You were just scared, that's all." She tapped his arm. "We better apologize to Hope now."

Reala nodded. He and NiGHTS flew through the halls to Hope's room. Reala took out the key to unlock it.

NiGHTS stared at him with wide eyes in complete disbelief. "You _locked _her in?? Reala!"

"I thought she might try to escape!" Reala suddenly felt ashamed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I was just angry and disappointed."

NiGHTS sighed and gazed at her mate sadly. "Never mind, let's just let her out now."

Reala sighed too, not believing he had actually locked up his own daughter. He quickly unlocked the door and opened it.

But Hope wasn't there.

_Mwahaha! Take that! Whoo! ...Ok, I calmed down. Please review before I have more chocolate._


	12. Losing Hope

_OMG! I saw this really cool NiGHTS music video on Youtube with the song "Keep Trying" by Utada Hikaru! It was AWESOME! Check it out; here's the link, if interested: _

_/watch?vndH2J80sS8U_

_Anyhoo, this chapter is really long and really cool. In my opinion._

Chapter Twelve: Losing Hope

Hope exited the portal and found herself in the sunflower field. Relieved to be out in the open air, she sighed deeply. She wondered if Jackle was still around, though she was doubtful. It had been almost two hours since she saw him last, and Jackle rarely stayed in the same place for very long. Hope figured he must have gone somewhere else by now.

"I might as well go home," she sighed, "before they find out I've been gone." She turned to fly away, but a voice stopped her.

"Hey, Hope! You're back!"

Hope turned around and saw Jackle flying towards her, a huge grin on his face. "Jackle! You're still here!"

"So, tell me! How'd you escape?" Jackle asked, seeming very curious to know.

Hope explained what had happened, and when she was done, she confessed to Jackle, "I don't know who or what to believe anymore. I feel like I can't trust anybody because no one seems to give me the right answers to my questions. Oh Jackle, you've got to help me."

Jackle admitted, "Well, I'm not sure if _I_ can answer all your questions..." Then his face lit up. "But I know something that can!"

"Really? What?" Hope asked excitedly.

"There's this magical thing in Nightmare Castle that knows everything! I'm sure it'll be able to help you!"

But Hope was uneasy. "Nightmare Castle? I don't know, Jackle, I've never been there. I'm not even allowed."

Jackle encouraged, "Don't worry! It's perfectly safe! No one lives there now, anyway. Come on, Hope, I'll go with you! You'll get all the answers to all your questions, I promise."

Because Hope trusted Jackle that much, she agreed. "Ok. Which way to Nightmare Castle?"

--

Nightmare was more frightening than Hope had imagined. It was very cold, and the land was barren. The only vegetation Hope could see were old-looking trees without leaves, and tufts of dry, prickly grass frozen in the dusty ground. A place where it looked like a river once flowed was now dry and cracked. Nightmare was also very dark; the heavy, swirling clouds made sure no light from the moon and stars passed through them.

Hope stuck close to Jackle. She followed him where the land rose up and soon the Nightmare Castle came into view. Hope was amazed by its size; the ancient stone walls reaching much higher than the walls of Crystal Castle. Hope and Jackle came to the top of the cliff, and Hope heard the sound of water from far below. She peered over the edge and saw black waves crashing onto the rocks at the base of the cliff. She shuddered, for she had never seen such dark water before. "What is that?"

"The Dark Ocean." Jackle told her. "Don't fall in, or else you won't be able to get out. Come on, we're almost at the entrance!"

Hope glanced back one more time at the angry ocean below and then followed Jackle to the entrance.

When they got to the large and heavy oak doors, Jackle knocked loudly on them. "Pizza delivery!"

Hope laughed a bit, feeling slightly better, even though she dind't know what pizza was.

Jackle turned to Hope and shrugged. "Oh well, no one's home. Guess we better invite ourselves in!" He opened one of the doors and went inside the castle.

But Hope faltered. She wasn't sure she wanted to continue. It seemed too dangerous.

Jackle poked his head out of the doorway and asked, "Aren't you coming?"

_I didn't come all this way just to be too scared to go in._ Hope took a deep breath. "Yes. I'm coming." She went inside and let the door close behind her.

It was even darker inside the castle. Thanks to her big eyes, Hope was just barely able to make out the edges of the walls and Jackle's billowing, bat-like cape in front of her.

"It wasn't always this dark." Jackle spoke up, as if reading Hope's mind. "There used to be torches lining the walls, but since no one's been here in a long time, there's been no one to keep the torches lit. Stay right behind me and don't get lost."

Hope looked up and tried to keep her eyes on Jackle's cape, but he suddenly turned a corner. Hope quickly followed him, but Jackle had already turned another corner at the end of the hallway. Hope struggled to keep up in the dark, but Jackle was faster and moved through the halls with ease. Hope finally saw him go down a long hallway. "Jackle, slow down." She wasn't sure if Jackle heard her because he made no reply. Just as Hope had almost caught up with him, Jackle banked sharply and vanished. Hope skidded in mid-air and glanced around in the darkness. "Jackle? Jackle, where are you?" she called out, worried she might be lost in Nightmare Castle forever.

"In here, Hope!"

Hope turned around and saw dim light coming from the cracks in a large double-door. She went up to the doors, grabbed the brass handles, and pulled them open. She squinted against the light; it was bright compared to the total darkness she was in. She entered the room slowly and the doors closed behind her.

Once her eyes had adjusted to the light, Hope gazed around the room. It was very large and spacious. A huge throne stood in the center, with two lit torches on either side of it, which surprised Hope. There was no floor. White stone pillars around the room supported the ceiling, which was so high up that it was in darkness. Hope had been so intrigued by the room that she didn't notice Jackle was not there. "Jackle? Are you in here?" she asked.

The only response she got was laughter. Not Jackle's rapid, high-pitched cackle, but a deep, slow, sinister laugh. It reverbrated throughout the room, sending chills up Hope's spine. A low voice rumbled, "Welcome, Hope. I've been expecting you."

Hope looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "W-who's there? Where are you?" She was also wondering how it knew her name. She had her gaze turned upward, so she didn't notice a dark figure rising up from below until it was towering above her. Hope stared wide-eyed at the giant figure hovering between her and the throne. This 'thing' had a dark blue robe, a silver-spiked head, and six hands with an eye in the middle of each. In a wobbly voice, Hope asked, "W-who are y-you?"

"Do not be alarmed, child." the stranger spoke. "No harm will come to you. I understand you have come for some answers, is that right?"

Hope nodded. "Yes, that's right. Can you help me?"

"Of course, my dear. I happen to know everything there is to know about in the Night Dimension. Now tell me, what would you like to know?"

"Well," Hope began, "I want to know about my parents' past. What are they and where did they come from?"

The giant being hesitated. "Are you sure you want to know about that? Beware, some truths are better left hidden."

But Hope was too determined to give up. "Please, I can't go home unless I know the truth. Please tell me."

"...Very well." The stranger started, "Your parents, NiGHTS and Reala, were created...by Wizeman."

Hope gasped. "Created?? By Wizeman?! Then that would make them--"

"Nightmarens, yes."

It was such a shock to hear that. Hope didn't want to believe it, yet she did. Her parents were Nightmarens. "That means I'm...a...Nightmaren..."

"That is correct."

Her eyes welled up with tears. "No...it can't be..." she sobbed. "How is that possible?" But now that she thought about it, Hope wasn't all that surprised. Deep down, ever since Jackle told her about Nightmarens, something inside Hope told her that Jackle was telling the truth about her parents.

"I warned you about the truth, Hope," the stranger continued, "but I will explain. Wizeman created many Nightmarens, NiGHTS and Reala among them, but one after the other, they left him. First it was NiGHTS, who was stubborn and never agreed to his plans. Wizeman tried to put a stop to her by using his other Nightmarens, but NiGHTS defeated them all. Several years later, he tried again, but NiGHTS still prevailed. Not very long after, Reala betrayed Wizeman to be with NiGHTS, for he had grown to love her. Wizeman tried to kill them both, but miraculously, they defeated him. And then you were born, a Nightmaren."

She believed it now, though it was very hard on her. But there was something that still bothered her. "How could my parents steal Ideya from Visitors? That's awful."

"I assure you, NiGHTS had no pleasure in collecting Ideya. Reala, on the other hand, relished every moment. He was tough, savage, even barbaric at times. But that's what made him Wizeman's best and most trusted Nightmaren. Your father would've succeeded him, but he became a traitor. Like NiGHTS."

_So that's why Dad attacked Owl like that, and why Mom seemed so threatening to Jackle, _Hope now realized. _This was the evil past Owl was talking about._ But she noticed something about what the stranger said and she shook her head. "They can't be traitors if what they did was good."

"What they _thought_ they did was good. You see, Wizeman promised his Nightmarens a better future. _He_ was doing good. NiGHTS and Reala didn't want to be part of it. It's as simple as that."

Hope frowned. Maybe he was right. "But why didn't they tell me all this?"

"To protect you, probably."

"From what?"

"Nightmarens, most likely. And maybe from Wizeman."

Hope wiped the last tears from her eyes and tried her best to smile politely. "Thank you for telling me the truth. I actually feel a little better. I'm just not sure how I'm going to tell my parents that I know all this."

"Oh, you needn't worry about that right now." the giant creature stated. "And besides, I can't let you go without having paid a price."

"Oh." Hope rubbed her arm and said, slightly embarressed, "I'm afraid I don't have anything."

"Not to worry, I think I can come to a reasonable exchange." His eyes narrowed darkly and he sneered, "Your life."

Hope didn't have time to react because a cuff appeared around her ankle and a chain connected it to a heavy, black ball. "What?!" she gasped.

"I gave you what you wanted, now you must give me what I want, and I want a new servant. From now on, you must work for me for the rest of your life."

Hope struggled to get away, but the ball was too heavy to move. She gazed up in fear at the hands glaring down at her malevolantly. "Why are you doing this? Who _are_ you??"

The giant stared menacingly at Hope and answered, "You shall forever refer to me as Master Wizeman."

"W-Wizeman? But-- he-- you're-- dead?" Hope stammered.

"I said refer to me as _Master_ Wizeman!" Wizeman growled. "Or just Master, if you insist. And I'm not dead. In fact, I have been alive for several days, now."

Hope just couldn't believe what was going on. Owl was right about Wizeman being revived. She struggled again. "No! Let me go!"

"I will not. You have to obey me for the rest of your life, just as I purposed all Nightmarens to do." Wizeman responded. "And there will be serious consequences if you refuse to do so. I'm sure you know I strongly do not tolerate those who disobey me."

"I refuse! I'll never work for you!" Hope cried defiantly.

"I knew you wouldn't agree. After all, you are the daughter of NiGHTS." Wizeman said. "But you will soon learn to change your personality."

"You won't succeed! My parents are going to save me!" Hope declared. At least, she hoped they would.

"True, unless I can kill them first." Wizeman sneered. "And I know just the right Nightmaren to do that." He snapped his fingers, and a voice spoke up,

"Yes, Master?"

Hope turned around and saw Jackle. Her eyes widened in shock. "Jackle? You...you were working for Wizeman? The whole time?" she asked in a shaky voice, her eyes watery.

This must've been the first time Jackle was actually frowning. "Sorry, Hope. It wasn't anything personal; I was just following orders."

The first tears slid down her face. "But...why?"

Jackle looked into her eyes. "Master Wizeman said this would be my opportunity to redeem myself. I didn't want to at first, but he said it would be worth my while."

Hope looked away. "I trusted you, Jackle. I thought...I thought you were my friend..."

Wizeman chuckled. "It seems you are as gullible as your mother as well." His eyes turned to Jackle. "Well done, Jackle. You certainly have proved yourself. I have a new mission for you: find NiGHTS and Reala...and kill them."

Hope whiped her head up at Wizeman, eyes and mouth wide. "No!" She turned to Jackle. "Jackle, don't!"

Jackle didn't meet her eyes and he bowed his head respectfully, "Yes, Master."

"No..." Hope buried her face in her hands and sank to her knees, sobbing.

Before Jackle left the room, Wizeman added, "And Jackle, be very careful on this mission. NiGHTS and Reala are most likely going to fight back. Remember, last time they had enough luck to kill me."

"Love."

Wizeman and Jackle both looked at Hope. "What was that?" Wizeman growled.

Hope glanced up at Wizeman. "It was their love that kept them strong enough to defeat you. Not luck." She now realized that the story Reala told her was about him and NiGHTS when they killed Wizeman twelve years ago.

One of Wizeman's hands loomed in front of Hope. "You're wrong. Love is weak. It does not fight battles, and it certainly doesn't win them. The only reason your parents beat me was because they were lucky. Nothing else."

Hope felt too miserable to argue with her new master, so she just hung her head down and stared at the dark, empty space below her.

"Go now, Jackle." Wizeman said to his servant. "I will be waiting expectantly."

Jackle nodded and bowed one more time before leaving the room, with one last glance at Hope.

"As for you..." All Wizeman's eyes stared at his newest slave.

Bits of light came together in front of Hope's face. The light formed into an object and when it dimmed, Hope could tell that the object was a mask. It was similar to Reala's, only it had three straight, light pink feathers on top of one half, and beside them on the side of the mask were fluffy, dark pink feathers. It had no gem because it was made in a way that would fit around her Ideya.

"You must wear your Persona at all times. It is a symbol of loyalty to me and lets everyone know that you are one of my Nightmarens." Wizeman explained.

Hope reluctantly fit the Persona over her eyes. She would've never wanted one if she knew what they meant.

"It is late, so you won't have to work right now. Rest, and in the morning I will explain further on what you should do." Wizeman summoned blue mist to appear around Hope.

Hope glanced around, but the mist was so thick that she couldn't see through it. When it subsided, she found herself in a dark room. She could see a bed and some other bits of furniture. She didn't have the ball-and-chain connected to her anymore, so she quickly flew over to the door and tried to open it. _Duh! Of course it's locked, you idiot!_ Hope scolded herself. Then she noticed something was written on the door in pointy lines, as if it had been carved in. She read the letters.

_N-i-G-H-T-S_

This had been her mother's room, Hope realized sadly, confirming the fact that NiGHTS had indeed been working for Wizeman. She sat on the cold floor and began to weep.

_Aww, poor Hope! Is there any way she can be saved? Will Jackle actually kill her parents? How exactly did Heath Ledger die and will he still get an Oscar? The answers to (most of) these questions will be revealed in the final chapter, so stay tuned!_


	13. What Friends Are For

_OMG, last chapter before the epilogue! And it's reeeeeeeeeally long!_

Chapter Thirteen: What Friends Are For

The room was quiet except for the soft weeping of a young Nightmaren who had been wrongly imprisoned after learning about bitter truths. Hope had lost all hope of escaping and ever seeing her family again. Her family...would Jackle actually kill her parents? She couldn't believe he had been playing her the whole time. She wanted to hate him now, but something about him kept her from thinking badly about him. But she couldn't stop crying; it was all too much for her.

She took off her Persona, hating it for what it stood for, and tossed it away.

Then the Yellow Ideya shard on her head began to glow and the tears slowly ran dry. She lifted her head up a bit, feeling a sudden rush of hope. She got up and wiped her eyes a final time. "Crying's not gonna get me outta here. I at least have to try. Maybe then I'll have a chance to save my parents." Looking determindly at the door, she drew back her foot, and gave the door a great big kick.

And held her foot in pain. "OOOOOOWWWWWWW!! DARNIT!" She backflipped in mid-air and squeezed her foot, trying to stop the pain. "That was the stupidest thing I've ever done!" Hope gritted her teeth and glared at the sturdy door. Eventually, the pain subsided and she relaxed. "There MUST be another way out." She analyzed the room. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see anything very well. However, she was able to find a lamp (although I still think electricity's very rare in the Night Dimension) and turned it on.

There were no windows, no vents, no other means of exit. An object on a dusty night table caught Hope's eye and curiousity led her over to it. It was some kind of book, she realized. The cover was made of lavender matierial and looked very old. She picked it up and blew away the dust, coughing slightly. When she opened it, she saw her mother's name written neatly on the inside of the cover, and she guessed the book had belonged to NiGHTS. Flipping through the pages, she noticed this was her mother's diary. She casually leafed through the diary, often seeing the names "Wizeman", "Claris", "Elliot", and (very often) "Reala". Then, she noticed the words "secret passage" and curiously read the entry.

_"Wizeman sent me to my room. Again. Man, I hate this! It wasn't even my fault this time. It was actually Reala's, but I decided to take the blame for him. He didn't thank me yet, and he still doesn't know how I feel about him. But on the bright side, I recently discovered a secret passage in my room. It happened last time I was locked in my room and I was sitting on the floor, bouncing a ball off the wall to pass the time. It rolled under my bed when I didn't catch it and when I reached for it, I felt a handle of some sort. Curious, I moved the bed over and saw a trapdoor on the floor. In short, I found out that it led to the lounge. I don't use it very often, as most Nightmarens are usually in there, but once in a while if I'm desperate enough, I'll sneak out through there. And if I'm fortunate enough to be shut in my room in the first place; Wizeman usually locks me in a cage. I might even sneak out tonight, if I decide to take the risk of getting caught, that is."_

Hope put the diary back on the table and looked at the bed. _Worth a shot,_ she decided. She pushed the bed aside and found the trapdoor her mother had mentioned. She grasped the handle and pulled, but it was stuck after not being used in a long time. Eventually though, the door creaked open, revealing a tunnel. It smelled something awful, but she had nothing else to resort to. She slipped inside and closed the door.

Brushing her hands along the walls of the pitch-black tunnel for guidance, Hope glided silently through the secret passage and soon came to the end of it. Above her head at the end was another door and she pushed it open slowly. She heard many voices chatting and laughing, and then what sounded like a cork popping.

"Here's to our, uh, coming back to Nightmare...uh, thing..." a fat, round Nightmaren announced with a newly opened bottle of champagne raised.

"Yeah!" the other Nightmarens cheered with their glasses raised.

Hope figured she could sneak past these 'Marens without them noticing her, but she would have to be very careful. As they were getting their drinks, she slipped out of the trapdoor and closed it quietly. She glided quickly behind a couch and saw the door nearby. She started sneaking for it, when a loud barking noise startled her and she whiped around to see a large and very scary-looking two-headed dog Nightmaren with snapping jaws.

"Aaah!" she yelped in fright and flew away from it, but it chased her. She was vaguely aware of all the other Nightmarens in the room looking over at what was happening. Hope was trapped in a corner with the ferocious dog in front of her, growling fiercely. "Oh no!" She shut her eyes tight and bunched up to protect herself, but a snicker from one of the Nightmarens made her open one eye and look up.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" The round one with a jester hat grinned slyly.

"Isn't that the new kid Wizeman captured?" one that looked like a dragon asked.

"Without her Persona, too." a fancy-looking spider noted disapprovingly.

Hope glanced at all the Nightmarens nervously.

A chameleon-like Nightmaren leaned in closer to Hope, examining her. "Nice Ideya shard. You get that at the pawn shop?" he started to cackle, along with most of the others, causing Hope to back further into the corner.

"Oh, stop it already! Can't you see the poor dear's scared to death?" another round one that had a pink rabbit-like head scolded, and Hope was surprised at this Nightmaren's consideration.

"Oh, right, sorry. We forgot that's what we do to Visitors." the chameleon apologized. "We've never been properly introduced. I'm Chamelan."

"And you may call me Puffy, darling." The pink bunny winked at Hope. "And your name?"

"H-Hope." she replied timidly. "I'm Hope."

"Hi, Hope! Name's Donbalon!" the other fat one introduced cheerfully. "And sorry about Cerberus, he gets a little excited about strangers." he explained, pulling the dog Nightmaren back, who was still growling suspiciously at Hope.

A huge, fish Nightmaren stated, "My name is Girania. Don't get me confused with Gulpo over there."

Gulpo shot a glare at Girania. "It's not my fault we look alike!"

A witch-like cat Nightmaren stepped forward with several black cats around her. "I am Bomamba. And these are my lovelies." she added, gesturing to her cats. She turned to another cat in a corner that was altogether very different. "Except that one. That's Clawz. Shy one, he is. Doesn't like to talk much."

The spider spoke up, "Queen Bella is my name. And don't you be forgetting the _Queen_."

The dragon Nightmaren frowned and complained, "Aw, why am I the last to be introduced again?"

Donbalon rolled his eyes. "Because you never speak up in time, Gillwing! Now just introduce yourself already!"

"Aw, Donny, you just did it for me!" Gillwing whined. He turned away from the others. "What's the point?" he muttered dejectedly.

Puffy looked back at Hope. "Well, that's all of us, dear. Except for Jackle, of course, but you already know about him, don't you?"

Hope looked down sadly and said nothing. Even though there was a trace of sympathy in Puffy's voice, she wasn't sure she should open up to these Nightmarens. It wasn't as if she was going to spend the rest of her life with them, right? Then she remembered her plan to escape and wondered how she would get away from these Nightmarens.

"You know," Chamelan began thoughtfully, "I could've sworn Wizeman locked you in your room, Hope. Are you perhaps in the middle of an escape?"

"No!" Hope immediately lied.

"Oh, Ok." Gulpo responded. Then he quickly exclaimed, "Denial!"

Before Hope could do anything else, all the Nightmarens were surrounding her.

"Just tell us where you're going, and we'll kill you." Gillwing threatened.

"Don't you mean 'or'?" Girania pointed out.

Gillwing groaned. "Tell us where you're going, _OR _we'll kill you."

Hope had no idea what to do in this situation. Then she thought of something, but wasn't sure if it was going to work. But it was worth a shot. "Uh, hey! Do you guys like music?"

"Oh yeah! Sure! Yeah!" the Nightmarens replied good-naturedly, as if they had never threatened to kill her.

Hope held up her ocarina. "Then would you like to hear a song?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" they answered excitedly.

Hope took a deep breath and began playing her mother's song. It made her sad, because it reminded her of NiGHTS and she didn't know if she would ever see her again. But just as she had hoped, by the end of the song, all the Nightmarens were fast asleep. Hope didn't waste another second. She bolted out of the room and flew down the hallway.

"Man, that was nerve-racking." Hope remarked, slowing down a little once she was sure she was safe. "Now how do I get out of here?"

"You'll do no such thing."

Hope glanced up and cried out in fright when she saw one of Wizeman's hands floating in front of her. She tried to get away, but the hand grabbed her. "No!" A few terrifying seconds later, Hope was thrown into a dungeon.

"Maybe a night in here will teach you to obey my orders." Wizeman's voice growled. Then the hand floated away.

Hope got up and shook the bars on the door, but they showed no sign of breaking off. She began to despair once again and slid down to her knees. "It's no use. I'm gonna be stuck here forever. I should never have wanted answers. I should never have trusted Jackle. I should never have doubted my parents." She sighed and a single tear fell from her eye. "And now I won't be able to tell my parents I'm sorry."

"Sure you will!"

Jackle's sudden voice made Hope look up quickly in surprise. "Jackle?" She wanted to yell at him, to scream every bad thing she knew to him, but she didn't. Instead, she asked, "What do you mean?"

Jackle replied, "If you wanna apologize, you can. I didn't kill them."

Hope's face lit up in delight. "You mean...they're still alive?"

"Of course they are! In fact, they're right here in the castle, looking for you."

Hope was so overjoyed that she couldn't speak.

"...uh, Hope?"

Hope blinked and came back to her senses. "So, what happened?"

Jackle explained, "I was never going to kill them. I only said that so Wizey wouldn't hurt me. I hurried as fast as I could to your castle. Reala almost punched my head away, but when I told him and NiGHTS that you were in danger, they believed me and came with me to rescue you." He finished with, "Look, Hope, I never wanted any of this to happen. I'm really, really sorry. Can you...ever forgive me?"

Hope saw the sadness in his eyes and knew instantly that his apology was sincere. "I forgive you, Jackle. That's what friends are for."

Jackle looked up and grinned. "You mean we're still friends? Really?!"

Hope smiled and nodded. "Really."

"YAHOO!" Jackle flipped and spun in the air joyously and Hope giggled.

"I'm happy too, but can we find a way to get me out, first?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Stand back." Without waiting for her to do so, Jackle flung a series of cards at the bars on the door, slicing right through them.

Hope stared with wide eyes at the broken bars on the ground. She had no idea Jackle's cards were capable of that kind of strength.

"Come on!" Jackle grabbed Hope by the hand and led her swiftly down the halls. "Once we find NiGHTS and Ree, we're outta here like there's no manana!(there's supposed to be an accent on the first 'n')"

"Mom?" Hope called out, looking around. "Dad?"

"I knew we should've talked aobut where we were gonna meet." Jackle grumbled, mostly to himself. "We were about to, but nooooooooo. NiGHTS took off like there was a sale at Macy's, and then Reala followed her, so I gave up and went a different way. Madness."

Hope caught a flash of purple coming from the end of the long hallway and realized NiGHTS must've just passed by. "Mom!" she yelled. "Mom! Over here!" She and Jackle began to hurry down the hallway.

NiGHTS and Reala appeared at the end and instantly began to fly towards their daughter. "Hope!" they called in delight.

Jackle let go of Hope's hand so she could embrace her parents, which she did.

Hope was sandwiched in between her mother and father, who were hugging her tightly as if they didn't want to ever let go.

"Oh, Hope! We were so worried about you!" NiGHTS said, tears of relief in her eyes.

"Mom? Dad? I can explain everything..." Hope began, feeling guilty.

Reala hushed her gently. "When we get home, Hope. Right now we must leave this awful place as soon as possible." He turned to Jackle. "What was the fastest way to the exit, again?"

Jackle replied, "Uh, that would be through the courtyard."

So all four Nightmarens headed to the courtyard. They were about halfway across, when the ground started to rumble.

"Wizeman!" NiGHTS growled through gritted teeth.

Reala stood in front of Hope and NiGHTS protectively and Jackle hung back a little.

Wizeman then appeared. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you, Jackle."

"Well that's what you get for being a JERK!" Jackle spat boldly, sticking out his tongue.

Wizeman clenched his fists. "You will wish you had obeyed me." His eyes looked at NiGHTS and Reala. "So will you."

"Tell it to someone who cares, old man!" NiGHTS copied Jackle's rudeness as she put her hands on her hips. "We beat you once, we can beat you again!"

But Wizeman chuckled darkly. "NiGHTS, have you not learned anything from the other times you've _tried_ to kill me?" He explained, "No matter how many times you defeat me, I will always come back to life sooner or later. You're better off giving up."

Reala spoke, "That may be the smart thing to do, but it's not the right thing to do. We're putting an end to you!"

Wizeman sighed. "Very well. If that is your wish to die, I shall gladly give it to you." In a flash, Wizeman shot out a bolt of lightning at Reala, who collapsed onto the ground.

"Dad!" Hope cried, kneeling beside her father. "Dad, are you ok?"

Reala recovered quickly and got up, pushing Hope behind him. "Don't worry about me. Stay behind me, Hope."

NiGHTS glared at Wizeman. "How cowardly of you! Attacking before we could actually begin!"

"Me? A coward?!" Wizeman thundered, his hands rising up into attack position. "It is more cowardly of you to have run away from your duties!"

"I only did what was right!" NiGHTS retorted.

Reala touched her arm. "NiGHTS, it's no use trying to convince him."

NiGHTS looked at him and sighed. "You're right. But what if we can't beat him again? Or what if we do beat him and he comes back immediately?"

Reala sighed too. "If only there was a way to get rid of him for good."

"Well...there might be one way..."

Reala, NiGHTS, and Hope looked at Jackle.

Jackle was casually examining a card as he spoke, "It's impossible to kill him perminantly, but there might be a way to trap him in a place he can't come back or do harm."

"We're listening." Reala said, interested.

"Stall for time, first. I have to get ready."

Reala and NiGHTS nodded, then faced Wizeman.

"So, shall we begin?" Wizeman asked, his hands eagerly waiting to fight.

While Reala and NiGHTS were distracting Wizeman, Hope turned her attention to Jackle. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

Jackle grinned mischieviously and showed her the card he was holding. "Ace of Spades. Know what it does?"

Hope shook her head.

"It's the only one of its kind, and it's the most dangerous. It traps the victim inside the card, basically. Wizeman will have no way of getting out."

_How very clever_, Hope thought. "Great idea, Jackle!" She then heard a grunting noise and two thuds. She turned around and saw with horror her mother and father lying on the ground. Wizeman's hands were above them. "Mom! Dad!" She cried, knowing there was nothing she could do to help them.

"Fools!" Wizeman bellowed. "You cannot win this time! I shall destroy you all!"

But before he could, Jackle shouted, "Wait!"

Wizeman turned his gaze on Jackle.

Jackle approached Wizeman. "You'll have to fight me, first!"

Wizeman seemed a little surprised. "If you are willing to die first, then I have no problem in your request." He zapped Jackle with a bolt of lightning.

Hope flinched. "Jackle! What are you doing?"

Jackle shook his head and ignored Hope. "Is that all you got?"

Wizeman zapped him again.

Jackle did a disoriented flip in the air. "Is...that all you got?"

Wizeman zapped him again with a more powerful bolt.

Jackle fell to the ground.

Hope gasped. "Jackle! Get up!"

Jackle opened one eye at Wizeman and grinned. "If you were smarter, you would've just killed me right away."

"Not necessarily. I wanted to make you suffer. But now I shall kill you." Wizeman's hands loomed around Jackle. "Any last words?" he sneered.

"Yeah. I can't believe you fell for it!" Jackle held the card up in his hand and a black aura came from it. He flung the card at Wizeman, who looked shocked. The card bounced off Wizeman's head.

"Haha! You did nothing!" Wizeman laughed. Suddenly, the aura swirled around Wizeman and began to suck him into the card. "What?! No! NOOOOOOOOO!!" he roared as he became imprisoned inside the card. The aura faded and the Ace of Spades fell to the ground.

Jackle managed to get up and pick up the card. "Well, I can certainly think of a better place for _this_." He dropped the card into the nearby pond, never to be seen again.

Hope smiled. They had done it. Well, Jackle did the actual work in trapping Wizeman, but her parents had helped. Suddenly remembering her parents, Hope looked over at NiGHTS and Reala and was extremely relieved to see that they had gotten up and were all right. She went over to them and hugged them again. "I'm really sorry I got us into all this..."

"It's not your fault, dear." Reala assured her. "We should've told you the truth about us a long time ago. We're the ones who are sorry." he admitted.

"That's ok." said Hope. "I understand why you kept it all a secret, now."

NiGHTS smiled and kissed her daughter's head. "You must've been very brave to have endured all this. You inherited my courage, you know."

"And our hope." Reala added.

Hope nodded. "But I couldnt've done it without Jackle." She looked at him and her friend grinned back. "It was also my trust in him that got me through. And our friendship."

Reala turned to Jackle, but wasn't smiling, and Hope was afraid he might say something bad about him. But then Reala nodded once to Jackle and said, "Thank you, Jackle." There was no expression in his voice, but everyone could tell he was grateful. Turning his attention to his family, Reala spoke, "Now let's go home." He looked back at Jackle. "All of us."

_...Yep. That's it. For the last chappie, anyway. Sorry if it wasn't that epic, but I was having trouble finding a way for them to beat Wizeman. The epilogue will probably be more satisfying, so stick around for it!_


	14. A Shard Of Hope

_Aw, it's over! :( By the way, I'm really glad all of you like this story. :) _

_PS: the epilogue takes place 5 years later._

Epilogue: A Shard of Hope

"And I want her home by 10:00 sharp. Got it?" Reala told Jackle sternly.

Jackle saluted Reala and grinned. "Yes sir, Mister Reala, sir!"

Reala turned to Hope. "If he tries anything, you know what to do."

Hope, the now 17-year old Nightmaren, rolled her eyes and answered, "Yeah, yeah, Paraloop him then Drill Dash away. Can we go, now?"

Reala looked at his daughter and Jackle a moment longer, then nodded. "All right."

Hope and Jackle smiled at each other and flew off together.

Reala watched them go and sighed. "She grew up so fast."

NiGHTS came up beside him and put her head on his shoulder. "Sure seems that way, doesn't it?" She kissed her mate's cheek. "And don't be too hard on Jackle."

"I just don't want Hope to get into trouble." Reala said.

"Reala," NiGHTS began, smiling. "who do they remind you of?"

Reala thought, but wasn't sure what NiGHTS was getting at. "I don't know. Who?"

"They're just like we were when we were secretly in love." NiGHTS answered.

"Exactly. You remember how much trouble we got ourselves in?"

NiGHTS pushed Reala playfully. "You mean how much trouble _you_ got us in."

Reala chuckled and put his arms around his mate. "Well, we worked it out, so there might just be a shard of hope for them, too."

"Hey, Ree, what do you think Wizeman's thinking about right now?"

Reala looked up thoughtfully. "Hmm..."

(Inside Ace of Spades at the bottom of the pond)

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!!"

(Back with N and R)

"Say, Reala..." NiGHTS got a mischieviously sly look in her eyes. "Hope and Jackle are gonna be gone for a while. Maybe we could...you know." She gave him a wink.

"Hmm, I like the sound of that." Reala purred. He scooped up NiGHTS, who giggled, and carried her bridal-style inside the castle. As he made his way to their room, Reala thought, _All our problems were solved because Hope trusted Jackle. She changed him like NiGHTS changed me... I guess there's a hopeful future after all._

THE END

_Sorry it's short, but...I ran out of ideas! And unfortunately (please don't hate me) I'm not making a sequel. I have to move on with other ideas I'm currently brewing. Don't worry, I'm making more NiGHTS fics, just none related to this one. Here's a line-up in case you're interested: "Tales From Nightopia", "Why NiGHTS Isn't In SSBB", "NiGHTS: Journey Into New York", and (possibly) "Purple Power!". _

_I really 'Hope' you enjoyed reading this story and...THANX SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING!! 8D_


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